The parent that you dread talking with and always comes around at the worst times. The Continually Critical Parent (CCP) is not the one we dream of doing ministry with. But if they are a part of our youth ministry then Jesus calls us to love them and lead them in his way.

Jesus had continual critics. In all four flavors of the Gospel, the big three critics of Jesus are scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. So don’t feel like you’re alone in dealing with a CCP in youth ministry. Other youth leaders deal with it, and most importantly, Jesus dealt with continual critics.

Moment - Jesus - Critics - Afar - Jerusalem

One poignant moment came when Jesus saw his continual critics coming from afar. He has to enter Jerusalem for the what will be the last week of his life before the cross. He knows he is going to have to face his critics. And he has three options on how to follow God’s will. He could run around the critics and slip in at night. He could attack his critics head on by calling down an army of angels. Or he could engage his critics and respond to them with truth in love (he had style going to face his critics—read Matt 21:1-11).

Run—So I’ve tried the avoiding option and it gets awkward. There are only so many times you can go to the restroom for 20 minutes each week at the same time. Seriously though, avoiding the issue doesn’t solve it. It typically makes it bigger and harder to deal with.

Attack—The - Defense - Offense - Conversations - Work

Attack—The best defense is not a good offense in these conversations. The work is not to drive away the critics or silence them because those critics are a part of your ministry. So it might feel good in the moment to put a person in their place, but in...